Federal Circuit Court

Federal appeals judge, 97, loses bid to unseal documents about her suspension

Federal law does not permit a 97-year-old federal appeals judge to unseal documents about her suspension absent consent of the chief judge of her circuit, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled Monday.

Feb 4, 2025 9:30 AM CST

Can Trump constitutionally install his nominees with recess appointments? Would Scalia be ‘aghast’?

Updated: Can President-elect Donald Trump use recess appointments to install his Cabinet nominees?

Nov 18, 2024 11:58 AM CST

Judge cuts Quinn Emanuel’s $185M fee, an amount deemed ‘astronomical’ by objectors

A federal judge has slashed a $185 million fee that she initially awarded to Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, an amount that translated to about $18,500 per hour for its work in an insurance class action lawsuit.

Oct 14, 2024 1:12 PM CDT

Suspended federal appeals judge, 97, has ‘extraordinarily high level of cognitive ability,’ evaluation says

A suspended 97-year-old federal appeals judge appears to be a “super-ager” because she shows no effects of age on cognition and demeanor, according to a neurosurgeon who is also a lawyer and an inventor.

Sep 25, 2024 11:44 AM CDT

Lawyer alleges ‘impeachment by subterfuge’ after federal appeals judge, 97, suspended for another year

Judge Pauline Newman of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has been suspended from hearing cases for another year amid concerns about her “cognitive state.”

Sep 9, 2024 9:44 AM CDT

Landlords can pursue takings suit stemming from COVID-19 eviction moratorium, Federal Circuit rules

Landlords may pursue a lawsuit alleging that the federal government violated the Fifth Amendment’s takings clause when it imposed a moratorium on evictions, according to a federal appeals court.

Aug 13, 2024 8:49 AM CDT

97-year-old federal appeals judge should be suspended another year for exam refusal, panel says

A 97-year-old judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit should be suspended from case assignments for another year for failing to participate in a probe of her mental fitness, according to a three-judge special circuit committee.

Jul 25, 2024 12:07 PM CDT

Federal appeals judge, 97, who refused to cooperate in fitness probe loses challenge to disability law

Updated: A federal judge has upheld a disability law used to suspend a 97-year-old federal appeals judge from hearing new cases while dismissing the remaining claims in her legal challenge.

Jul 9, 2024 12:20 PM CDT

Court scolds Weil partner for brief found to ‘incorporate by reference’ nearly 2,000 words from another document

A partner with Weil, Gotshal & Manges apparently missed an opinion telling his law firm that incorporating an argument by reference can’t be used to exceed word-count limits in briefs, according to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

Feb 20, 2024 1:34 PM CST

Federal judge refuses to order reinstatement of 96-year-old federal appeals judge, her second loss in a week

A federal judge in Washington, D.C., has refused to order reinstatement to new case assignments for a 96-year-old federal appeals judge who claims that the laws governing judicial disability are unconstitutional.

Feb 12, 2024 3:56 PM CST

Federal appeals judge, 96, fails to overturn suspension order for refusing to cooperate in fitness probe

A 96-year-old federal appeals judge who refused to cooperate with medical testing to determine her mental fitness for the bench has failed to persuade a reviewing body that she is entitled to resume deciding new cases.

Feb 7, 2024 3:32 PM CST

Quinn Emanuel disclosure order highlights relatively new product: judgment preservation insurance

Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan must disclose terms of judgment preservation insurance that it allegedly bought before distributing a $185 million fee award to partners, according to a U.S. Court of Federal Claims judge.

Jan 31, 2024 3:39 PM CST

How fully remote work has enabled me to thrive in the face of adversity

My daughter was diagnosed with cancer on Nov. 2, 2020. She had just turned 3 months old. I was visiting my family in Idaho while on maternity leave from my BigLaw job in Washington, D.C., when we got the news. Devastated and confused, we took her to St. Luke’s Children’s Cancer Institute in Boise and barely emerged for months.

Nov 27, 2023 11:28 AM CST

Speaking at ABA meeting, federal appeals judge, 96, doesn’t address her suspension but mentions opinion pace

A judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit sidestepped the controversy that has kept her from new case assignments during a keynote presentation at an ABA conference Friday.

Oct 16, 2023 8:20 AM CDT

How federal appeals judges’ opinions change as they get older

Older federal appeals judges are more likely to rely on “cognitive shortcuts” in their opinions than their younger counterparts, according to a study presented at a political science conference earlier this month.

Sep 26, 2023 9:41 AM CDT